From the critics

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My first reaction was confusion over who was who - the film was full of guys with identical beards and fine robes, beautifully photographed. I also had little grasp on the politics of the story. And the action was slowwwwwww! (And was she really abducted by a nun as a child to be raised as an assassin? What else did those Catholics get up to?!!) But as the film progressed, I found myself more immersed in it. The cinematography was wonderful, so I was willing to accept a little confusion in exchange for such beauty.

If you want a beautiful movie you've come to the right place. This is film for Jim Jarmusch fans. The camera is making paintings. The actors aren't afraid to be quiet and still. The fights are few and shortly over. The plot is, honestly, a little hard to follow but it is also somewhat beside the point.

If you enjoy long pauses, looking at distant mountains, and no plot, video stuck on a scene, than this is for you. Any DVD at redbox will be a better movie! This is lots of video of the movie that never was.

Film critics apparently loved the cinematography of this martial art film with artful production sets and the mystic Wudang mountain 武当山 as backdrop. The story itself was very cryptic, with little dialogue as if Cliff Notes from the novel Nie Yinniang (聶隱娘, Niè Yǐnniáng) by Pei Xing (裴铏) who wrote the short novella during the Tang Dynasty. The long takes within fixed frames could be excessive to some but a feast for the eye. (More on the story in "Summary.".) Look at these approval ratings:
6.4/10 IMDb, 79% Rotten Tomatoes and 80% Metacritic.

If you like low-brow cheap thrills, look elsewhere. This film won so many awards for its sumptuous attention to detail, rendering every scene like a painting. It's a film for cinephiles, art house aficionados, artists and those that appreciate ART. So don't go calling something crap when you don't even know what it is. If this is not your cup of tea, go back to watching dumb reality TV.

Quotes

Intro:
In 7th century China, the Tang Dynasty is in decline. The Imperial Court seeks to protect itself by establishing garrisons at the frontiers of its empire. Two centuries later, the militarized provinces waver
in their loyalty to the Court. Some move to distance themselves from the Emperor's control. At that time, Weibo asserts itself as the strongest of those provinces.
===
... Since then, the Court is the Court and Weibo is Weibo. The Princess implemented that decisive break. When her son Tian Ji'an came of age, she divided two matching jades: One to her son, one to you. She wished the two of you to maintain the imperial edict. To be resolute in preserving the peace between the Imperial Court and Weibo.

The Bluebird:
The King of Kophen's bluebird failed to sing for three years. One day the Queen remarked: Birds sing only to their own kind, set the bird before a mirror! The King heeded her advice. The bluebird saw its own image, it sang of its sadness, it danced, until it expired.
...
Princess Jiacheng taught me the zither. She told me a story about a bluebird's dance. She herself was the bluebird. She left the Court for Weibo all by herself. There was no one like her in Weibo.

The job:
You have mastered the sword but your heart lacks resolve. I shall return you to Weibo to kill your cousin. Tian Ji'an.

The Assassin's mind:
The way of the sword is pitiless. Saintly virtues play no part in it. Your skills are matchless, but your mind is hostage to human sentiments.

Summary

Nie Yinniang (Chinese: 聶隱娘, Niè Yǐnniáng) is a short story written in Classical Chinese by Pei Xing, a Chinese writer lived during the Tang Dynasty.[1] The story is set in 9th century China and tells the story of Nie Yinniang who was trained in martial art from a young age. She is the daughter of Nie Feng, a general under the command of the Tang Dynasty's famous Tian Ji'an. The story was published in the collection Feixingchuanqi (Chinese: 裴鉶传奇).

B. Short story 唐传奇·聂隐娘 from the Tang Dynasty web link:
https://www.douban.com/note/199154545/